What If You Fell From Space to Earth?

TL;DR

Falling from space to Earth would result in unconsciousness, hypoxia, radiation poisoning, frostbite, boiling bodily fluids, and potentially death.

Transcript

Hey there, welcome to Life Noggin! After hearing how Google exec Alan Eustace jumped out of a balloon 42 km up and survived, I started to wonder about what would happen if he had been even higher. How would his body have handled the extreme conditions of the atmosphere? What if you fell from space to Earth? Let’s go waaay up to the Karman line, whe... Read More

Key Insights

• 🖤 Lack of oxygen at high altitudes causes immediate unconsciousness and brain shutdown.
• 🤮 Exposure to intense radiation can lead to vomiting and radiation poisoning.
• 🍂 Friction and freezing temperatures during the fall cause frostbite and burning of the skin.
• 😣 Falling through the stratosphere can result in the boiling of bodily fluids, causing severe damage.
• 🍂 Survival from falls from high altitudes has been documented, but falling from space is extremely dangerous.
• 👾 The atmosphere acts as a protective barrier against space conditions.
• 😚 The troposphere, closer to the Earth's surface, is the least painful atmospheric level.

Questions & Answers

Q: What happens to the body when falling from space?

When falling from space, the lack of oxygen causes immediate unconsciousness and brain shutdown, potentially resulting in seizures, coma, and death. Exposure to intense radiation can lead to vomiting, and the friction and freezing temperatures can cause frostbite and burning of the skin.

Q: What are the dangers of falling through the atmosphere?

Falling through the atmosphere exposes the body to intense X-Rays and UV rays from the sun, which can cause radiation poisoning and vomiting. The friction of falling this fast from such a high altitude can burn through the skin, similar to how meteors disintegrate in the atmosphere.

Q: What happens when falling through the stratosphere?

In the stratosphere, the lower pressure causes liquids to boil at lower temperatures, including bodily fluids like blood, stomach acid, and urine. This can result in the boiling of the blood and other fluids, leading to severe damage to the body.

Q: Is there any chance of survival when falling from space?

While no one has ever fallen from 100 km up, there have been cases of survival from impressive falls. WWII pilot Alan Magee survived a fall of 6 km and Vesna Vulovic survived a fall inside a piece of a plane from 10 km up. However, falling from space is extremely dangerous, and attempting it is not recommended.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Falling from space results in immediate unconsciousness due to the lack of oxygen, leading to brain shutdown and potentially seizures and coma.

• Exposure to intense X-Rays and UV rays from the sun can cause radiation poisoning, leading to vomiting.

• The friction and freezing temperatures during the fall can cause serious frostbite and burning of the skin.